The Guise of Love
by Nadyell
Summary: It was the most awaited marriage of the year, of all time in fact. Yet, deep inside her, she often wondered if she married him because she still loved him, or because she pitied him.
1. Marriage

**Summary:** It was the most awaited marriage of the year, of all time in fact. Yet, deep inside her, she often wondered if she married him because she still loved him, or because she pitied him.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only things in this story that are mine are the OCs and the plot itself.

**The Guise of Love**  
Chapter One - Marriage

The sun peeked gently through the windows as the hustle and bustle inside the fairly large room. In one corner, Ino, Hinata and Tenten were worrying about if their hair was fixed and if their make up was alright. In another corner, a somewhat frantic mother was making sure that everyone on her daughter was just right.

Today was the day that she would finally give her daughter to the one man everyone had wanted their own to marry, Uchiha Sasuke. Who would have expected that he would ignore everyone else and pick the one girl who seemed so plain compared to the rest. Who would have thought that he would pick Haruno Sakura?

How, exactly, Sasuke had decided to propose, no one knew. It was odd that no one knew they were even a couple before they had announced their marriage. It might have been one of those secret relationships. Either way, what was in the mind of the five women in that room was to get ready for the ceremony that would occur just two hours from now.

At least, most of them were thinking that. Sakura's gaze seemed so distant, her usually bright eyes dull. It looked as if her mind was elsewhere, her concentration flitting from one memory to another.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" asked Ino, putting her hands on Sakura's bare shoulders.

The strapless white gown that Sasuke paid for himself looked gorgeous on her. The intricate beadwork in front made the simple gown look elegant. The small V-shaped cut revealing a little of her chest added a little more flair to it.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about how all this happened so fast," replied Sakura, looking up at her best friend, her Maid of Honor. Ino smiled at her response, patting her shoulders before going back to helping Hinata and Tenten.

"Don't worry. The butterflies will go away when you walk down that aisle," reassured her mother, fixing a strand that had come loose from its bun.

Sakura's hair had grown long again, mostly because she didn't have the time to have it cut on a regular basis more than wanting to impress anyone who had liked long hair. For the occasion, it suited her to have long hair.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will," whispered Sakura, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Everyone else saw a shy, modest bride, nervous for the wedding ceremony that would take place in just hours. Sakura simply saw a woman dressed up like a bride, neither all-too giddy about the celebration nor all-too annoyed by it.

Flashback: Six Months Ago

_Just yesterday, they had celebrated her twenty-third birthday, and she was back to doing her rounds at the hospital. Most of her work was done in Konoha, performing surgeries, giving regular check-ups, and visiting her recuperating patients, instead of the usual missions._

_It was already nine in the evening. Sakura had been in the hospital for almost fourteen hours already. Her shift had finished two hours ago but she didn't show any signs of leaving. In fact, she was still doing so much more._

"_Sakura-sensei, there's someone here to see you at the lobby. One Uchiha Sasuke-san," informed one of the nurses when she reached the nurse's station. Putting down the clip board, she looked up at the nurse with a slightly tired smile._

_  
"Okay, thank you," she said, turning around and walking away. Pocketing her hands into her white coat, she made her way to the floor below, on her way to the lobby._

_She looked like one of the doctors in one of the dramas she sometimes saw on TV. She had the customary white coat and like most stereotypical images of doctors, her long hair was pulled back into a messy bun. All she was missing was a pair of glasses to complete the look._

_She had seen Sasuke around though they didn't talk much, not that they did even before. When they did, however, it was mostly just asking about how the other was doing and asking why they were in the area._

_When she had arrived in the lobby, she stopped. Sasuke, sitting up from one of the benches, approached her, a rare smile on his face. Luckily, no one was there to see that smile and to see just how red Sakura's face had become. He still had that effect on her, even after all those years._

"_Still haven't changed I see," said Sasuke with a slight laugh, walking up to her. Sakura had to tilt her head upwards slightly to be able to look at him in the eyes. He had always been taller but lately, the obvious difference in their heights became even more obvious. "Here."_

_In his hand was a rose, the thorns cut off, the end of the stem submerged in a small plastic filled with water. The bag was secured to the flower's stem with a rubber band, crudely tied but securing the bag nonetheless._

"_Thank you," she said, breathing in the scent of the flower. "It's quite unexpected of you, both to drop by and to give me one of these." A grateful smile appeared on Sakura's face, directed up at him._

"_Can we talk outside?" asked Sasuke, offering a hand to guide her out. A small, unnoticeable frown appeared on Sakura's face. Was this the very same Uchiha Sasuke who had snubbed her so many years ago who was now offering a hand to her?_

"_Mmm," she mumbled, taking his hand. Who was she to deny herself one of those rare fantasies she still had of him? She had long accepted that she had a low chance on ever becoming anything more to him, opting to move on with her life and perhaps, find another one who could return her love. However, deep inside her, she still yearned for him, even a little._

_Outside, the stars twinkled, as if they were winking and urging something on. It was a nice night for a confession of love of some sort, or so the romantic side of Sakura would think. However, knowing Sasuke, it would probably be him asking for a favor that required her as a Medical Specialist to help._

"_Will you marry me?" asked Sasuke, all too blunt for Sakura. When the last word escaped his mouth, she dropped the rose to the ground, stunned. _

"…_Excuse me?" asked Sakura, hoping that she didn't hear him correctly. She would have wanted what every girl dreamed of, a romantic relationship before finally deciding to settle down with each other for the rest of their lives._

"_Will you marry me, Sakura," he repeated, his onyx eyes flickering into crimson as they always did when he was so serious about anything. "I'm not forcing you to accept but I've killed him already. All I want now is to start a family, to repopulate my Clan and return it to its place of glory."_

"_So you're asking me to marry you so I can serve as your tool to completing that?" asked Sakura bitterly, biting her lower lip. A younger, more immature her would have been elated at the news and would have immediately said yes. Sasuke was a couple of years too late for that._

_Sasuke breathed a sigh of impatience. He should have practiced wording this more. It seemed he had only irritated her even further._

"_No, no. I mean, I wanted to ask you first, before I…" Sasuke trailed off at the end, refusing to look at Sakura._

"_Before you what?" she asked, prodding him to finish the sentence. She wanted to slap him after he had said the reason why he wanted to get married, but, she wanted to hear him out first._

"_Just… please…" he begged, looking straight at her in eye eyes. The expression on his face was something she had never seen before, and probably never wanted to see. It showed his frailty and his vulnerability._

_Something stirred from deep inside her. She didn't know if her love for him had been rekindled or if it was pity for him that she was feeling at the moment._

"_Okay," she whispered her features softer as she took a step forward. "I will marry you." Sasuke enveloped her in an embrace, everything he was doing so unlike him. But, she didn't really care. He needed someone and no one else could help but her._

"_Thank you," he murmured to her ear, before pulling away. "I'll see you tomorrow then, I guess." Before leaving, he placed something in her hand, something cold and hard._

_There was no sweet romance, no formal courtship, or anything like that. The next day, she was sporting a white gold band on her left ring finger, a fairly large diamond resting on top._

End of Flashback

"Sakura-chan!" said Ino, snapping her fingers in front of Sakura's face, trying to snap her out of her reverie. Sakura looked at Ino, smiling apologetically. "Mou, you seem to have a lot on your mind. Is it really the pre-marriage butterflies?"

"I was just thinking about how Sasuke-kun proposed, that's all," explained Sakura, a small smile on her lips. It may have not been the most romantic of ways to ask a girl to marry him but, at least, it ushered in so many different experiences for her.

The Uchiha had been a little more outgoing, hardly much of a difference for anyone else. He had often stopped by at her apartment, leaving a rose on her bedside table if she wasn't at home. Sometimes, a box of chocolates would be beneath the flower.

Sometimes, when she didn't have much to do at the hospital and he wasn't being swamped by the missions an ANBU Captain usually was, they'd spend time with each other, usually at her place. If he was up to it, he'd cook.

No one knew the Uchiha Sasuke could cook, much less Sakura before she actually found out. She assumed he got take out but the still hot even and the warm stovetop proved her wrong. Sakura was slightly delighted to be proved wrong.

The past six months had been a wonderful experience for her, but she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had she said no. After all, it wasn't because she was madly in love with him that she said yes. There was something else that struck the chords of her heart, making her say yes.

"Sakura-chan, you shouldn't think too much! All you should really think about is how lucky you are that you will soon be Sasuke-kun's wife! You are in a very enviable position you know," reassured Ino, a smile on her lips, as she arranged the veil on Sakura's head.

The once shy and scrawny girl looked so radiant and womanly in that dress. Of course, leave it to Sasuke to get such high quality materials and get such a talented wedding dress designer to make the dress for her.

The white silk was crisp and smooth, the sheen of the material, flawless. The silver beads in front were sewn into the cloth by hand, the patterns intricate. It was a miracle that the dress had been finished in time for the wedding at all!

The white leather sandals were boxy, diamonds studding the single strap that kept her foot in place. The Roman style-straps reached up to the middle of her calf, small diamonds adding more design to the otherwise simple footwear. The heels were tall and thin, almost three inches tall, adding height to the pink haired Jounin.

Around her neck was a plain white gold chain, a simple diamond pendant resting between her collar bones. On her earrings were two dangling chandelier earrings, white gold like the rest of her jewelry.

It seemed that Uchiha Sasuke was left quite a lot of money and a huge chunk of it was spent on his bride-to-be. The simple Medical Specialist from the hospital looked like a princess, a princess ready to be whisked away by her prince charming.

"Sakura, ready?" asked her mother, a smile on her lips as she stretched out her hand. Ino, Hinata, and Tenten were behind her, smiling as they looked at the lovely Sakura, decked out in white and white gold.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura placed her hand on her mother's, a sincere smile finally gracing her features. It was already one in the afternoon. Wearing what she was, it would take almost an hour for Sakura to get into the carriage Sasuke had somehow conjured into Konoha to where they were getting married, the beautiful gardens found within his family's compound.

"Yes," she whispered, standing up from her seat. The minute she left the room, there was no turning back. She would officially become the matriarch of the Uchiha Clan that would soon be reborn into Konohagakure no Sato, one of, if not the greatest Clan found within its history.

At the End of the Ceremony

The only people left in the Uchiha compound were Kakashi and Tsunade. It was no hidden secret that Tsunade would soon retire from being Godaime and that Kakashi would take his place. She had wanted it to be Naruto but he didn't have enough experience.

"I never thought I'd see the day," said Tsunade with a fond smile, putting her hand on Sakura's shoulder. The Godaime looked like she didn't even age a day, though they knew otherwise. "Congratulations, Sakura, Sasuke."

"I… I'm glad you were the one who performed the ceremony," whispered Sakura, looking down. Tears were starting to collect in her eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Tsunade-shishou."

Sasuke looked at her, a faint semblance of worry in his eyes. An amused look graced Kakashi's face as he eyed Sasuke. He was getting better at expressing his feelings. Although there was hardly any visible difference, it was still there.

"Ca—Can I?" asked Sakura, lifting her head and approaching her former master. A warm smile and a nod came from her and without any warning, the newlywed wife of Uchiha Sasuke hugged Tsunade, crying, both from exhaustion and joy. The only thing the Godaime could do was return the embrace, a few tears escaping her eyes in the process.

"You better not make her cry, Sasuke," said Kakashi, pocketing his left hand and loosening his tie with his right. A grunt came from the Uchiha, watching as his wife broke down in front of the three of them. "What was that?"

"Of course I won't make her cry Kakashi. That's why I married her, to protect her," replied Sasuke, glancing sideways at Kakashi. "And if I do, I'll be sure to let you be the first one to beat the hell out of me and ask me why I did such a thing."

"I'll take your word for it," replied their former Jounin instructor, his heart wrenching slightly. He thought he'd die before he'd see Sasuke and Sakura end up together. Apparently, he was wrong about that.

Soon after, Sakura had pulled away from the Godaime, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Wordlessly, Tsunade and Kakashi had left, leaving the two to their brand new life. Just when Sakura was about to face Sasuke and apologize for her behavior, he picked her up and began to carry her inside.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura quietly, the mascara on her eyes bleeding. It almost seemed that her tears were black.

He didn't answer her as he continued carrying her. In fact, he didn't even bother kicking off his shoes upon entering the house. Sasuke had only one thing on his mind and Sakura knew what it was. Surprisingly, she didn't mind at all.

Almost Ten Months Later: Uchiha Compound

It was just another weekend in the Uchiha home. In the kitchen, Sakura cooking lunch with an obvious swell in her stomach. She was a very pregnant woman and their first child was due any day now.

"Boo," whispered her husband from behind, his hands in their usual place, on top of her stomach. "Doing okay?"

He had been the dutiful husband as he promised to be and she was satisfied with the way she lived. She was still one of the head Medical Specialists and attended to her work with the same enthusiasm she had before she got married. Nowadays, she was staying more and more at home because he was worried for her.

"Yeah, I am. How about you?" asked Sakura, turning around and facing her husband with a smile.

"I'm fine," he replied, pulling away, a slightly bashful look on his face. He never could get used to the fact that he was getting better at expressing his emotions in front of her. "Ah, Tsunade-sama told me you found out whether our child will be a son or a daughter."

"Mmm. Do you want to know?" asked Sakura, turning around to face her husband. Here she was, acting like a giddy young girl, even though she had gotten over him. He still had that effect over her, no matter how much she said that she had grown up and matured.

"Of course, why wouldn't I want to know," he said, gripping her wrists and kissing the back of her hands. "If that information is known to the mother, doesn't the father have every right to know as well?"

"A son," said Sakura simply, a sincere smile on her lips. Sasuke stared at her, dumbfounded, disbelieving of her confession. "You heard it, Sasuke-kun. Your, our, first child will be a son."

With a great amount of effort coming from Sasuke, he lifted his pregnant wife up in the air, real joy exuding from his expression. He didn't care if anyone just happened to step into their kitchen and see them like this. He'd brutally injure them later for both trespassing and seeing him express himself. For now, he was going to be the proud father of a boy, a son finally born into the proud Uchiha line after sixteen long years.

End of Chapter One

The Guise of Love chapter one has now been finished and I hope it's up to your standard.

Hopefully, I didn't make Sasuke-kun **too** OOC in this. But it's hard to make him not a sap inside with the way the story has been written.

Not to worry. I haven't forgotten about AotD. It's just that I can't express SasukexSakura as much there, considering that Sasuke and Sakura still aren't a couple, despite them doing things that brand them as one.

I'll try to update this as often as I can without neglecting AotD! So, in the meantime, let me leave you with this chapter preview.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Two – Four Children in Tow

**Chapter Preview:** It was such a sight to see the brand new Uchiha family walking down the road, Sasuke and Sakura either taking out the children for a walk or for a visit to one of their friends.

In Sasuke's left hand was the small hand of their eldest son, Satoshi, an almost spitting image of him save the style of his hair and his eyes. Satoshi's hair was growing long, almost long enough to tie it into a ponytail in fact. His eyes, however, were as deep and as green as his mother's.

His right hand was supporting a young girl, their only daughter. She was half-asleep, her sable eyes, half-lidded. Her rosette colored hair was tied into pigtails, the tufts of hair short.

In Sakura's arms were their twin boys, Kyou, the older one, and Haru. Kyou looked strikingly like Satoshi while Haru, without a doubt, looked exactly like their father. Their hair was still short, growing quickly and messily at the same time.


	2. Four in a Tow

**Summary:** It was the most awaited marriage of the year, of all time in fact. Yet, deep inside her, she often wondered if she married him because she still loved him, or because she pitied him.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only things in this story that are mine are the OCs and the plot itself.

**The Guise of Love**  
Chapter Two – Four Children in Tow

It was such a sight to see the brand new Uchiha family walking down the road, Sasuke and Sakura either taking out the children for a walk or for a visit to one of their friends.

In Sasuke's left hand was the small hand of their eldest son, Satoshi, an almost spitting image of him save the style of his hair and his eyes. Satoshi's hair was growing long, almost long enough to tie it into a ponytail in fact. His eyes, however, were as deep and as green as his mother's.

His right hand was supporting a young girl, their only daughter. She was half-asleep, her sable eyes, half-lidded. Her rosette colored hair was tied into pigtails, the tufts of hair short.

In Sakura's arms were their twin boys, Kyou, the older one, and Haru. Kyou looked strikingly like Satoshi while Haru, without a doubt, looked exactly like their father. Their hair was still short, growing quickly and messily at the same time.

Today was the day they were going to Neji's house to celebrate the birthday of his twins, Ruu and Ren. It was their fourth birthday, the same as Satoshi's. Though Neji and Tenten had gotten married earlier than they, Ruu and Ren were born some three weeks after Satoshi.

Soon enough, they were finally there, the house of Hyuuga Neji and Tenten. The outside hardly spoke of the fourth birthday of the twin children of the Hyuuga prodigy but somehow, they highly doubted the interior was anything like that. Neji dearly loved his children, despite not showing it.

As that thought crossed Sasuke's mind, an amused smirk found its way to his face. Even he was like this with his own children. Although Yuzuki, Kyou, and Haru didn't seem to notice, Satoshi did but he understood. It was in his father's nature.

"What are you smirking about?" asked Sakura, facing her husband as he let go of Satoshi's hand, knocking the door. Obviously, Sakura was incapacitated to do so, carrying sleeping three month old boys in her arms.

"Nothing," replied Sasuke, his son's hand in his once more. Raising her eyebrow, Sakura nodded slowly, slightly doubting that he had just wanted to smirk right then and there.

When the door finally opened, they were greeted with a slightly hassled Tenten. It seemed that mothers always wanted every single detail to be perfect. The Uchiha patriarch wryly remembered what happened when it was Satoshi's birthday. Every time someone was going to talk to Sakura, she looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun, welcome!" greeted Tenten, a somewhat obvious forced smile on her face, probably to keep the children from worrying about her. "I see you brought the children."

"Yeah, we did. We couldn't leave the twins at home so we had to bring them," replied Sakura, a slightly weary smile on her face. Sasuke was adamant about not hiring a baby sitter to take care of their children.

"Let me help you with one of them," said Tenten, picking up Haru from his mother's arm under Sasuke's watchful gaze. "This is Kyou-kun, isn't it?"

"No, that's Haru," said Sakura, pointing to the baby's slightly opened eyes. Tenten frowned at her mistake.

"I can never tell them apart. With Ruu and Ren, it's so easy to tell who's who," she muttered, ushering them inside.

"Sometimes, Sasuke can't tell Kyou from Haru as well and he's the father!" said Sakura with a laugh, earning a dark look from him.

In the Living Room

It was a fairly pleasant sight in the living room. Kyou and Haru were still busy sleeping, this time set up in Ruu's and Ren's old cribs. Satoshi, Ruu, and Ren were playing with building blocks, trying to see who could build the tallest tower. Yuzuki was playing in the corner with some plush cubes, playing with Naruto and Hinata's only child at the moment, the three year old Hyuuga Mirai.

It was one of the few conditions that Hiashi set down in front of Naruto before allowing him to marry his older daughter, that their son would bear the name Hyuuga so the line could carry on. All his other children would bear the family name Uzumaki. Naruto seemed to all too readily agree.

Luckily, three years and some months since Mirai's birth, Hinata was pregnant again. Her stomach revealed a healthy five months of pregnancy, her face more radiant than usual as she sat down, her opalescent eyes on her only son.

Naruto was up in the guest room, sleeping. He had just come from a mission the night before and had begged to be excused until all of them were complete. Neji had at least allowed him that much.

Meanwhile, Neji and Sasuke were playing poker, betting imaginary money, in order to pass time by. Ironically, they weren't wearing their poker faces. They were wearing their normal expressions though everyone could have sworn it was their poker faces, had they not known the nature of the two prodigies of their respective clans.

In the kitchen, Sakura and Tenten were busy decorating the cake. Half of it was violet, white characters on that side spelling out Ruu's name. The other half was blue, the characters spelling Ren's name instead. In the center were two candles, carved into the shape of the number four, one for each of them.

"I can't believe it's almost been five years since you were married," commented Tenten, pressing down on the piping bag to add more leaves to the pale pink butter roses that rested on top of the violet half of the chiffon cake. "How's it been since then?"

"Wonderful, I couldn't ask for more," said Sakura with a smile, gently adding sugar bandages atop the small butter kunai that were placed haphazardly on top of the blue icing.

"Well, that's it. I'll bring out the cake and you can go and check on Kyou and Haru. I'll have Neji wake Naruto up soon, hopefully not too violently," said Tenten, a bright smile on her face. Standing up straight, she marveled at their handiwork.

"Okay," said Sakura, toweling off the granules of sugar on her hand. "I'm sure Ruu and Ren will love the cake." Tenten beamed at her words. It wasn't often that Tenten cooked or baked but when she did, she tried to go all out with her work.

Fifteen Minutes Later: The Dining Area

Standing in front of their cake, Ruu's and Ren's faces were illuminated with the soft orange glow from the lit candles. Allowing himself to lower his defenses a little, Sasuke had provided the fire using an extremely mellow version of the Katon: Housenka no Jutsu.

During his two and a half years with Orochimaru, Sasuke had thought to learn how to mellow out the Katon: Housenka no Jutsu. It seemed like a useful thing to learn, sometimes needing only a slight amount of light in order to see without giving himself away.

"Blow the candles out!" urged Tenten, clasping her hands in anticipation. Taking in a breath of air eagerly, the twins blew out their candles; Ren's dying out just slightly before Ruu's. "Happy birthday Ren! Happy birthday Ruu!"

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" commented Naruto after yawning. It was obvious he didn't have time to get ready, still in his pajamas. None of the others seemed to care though, knowing he had just come back home from a difficult mission.

"Okaa-san, can we have cake already?" asked Ren, tugging on his mother's arm. It seemed that he was preferential to his mother.

"Otou-sama, let's have cake!" said Ruu cheerfully, her hands wrapping around Neji's right. It also seemed that Ruu was preferential to his father.

Looking at Neji's family, Sasuke vaguely wondered what kind of shinobi Ruu and Ren would turn out to be. Though both of them would be adept at weapons and the Byakugan, their parents obviously seeing to that, would Ruu prefer to use the Tai Jutsu style the Hyuuga Clan was famous for and would Ren prefer to use an impressive arsenal of weaponry?

"Ne, Otou-sama, what are you thinking about?" asked Satoshi, tugging on his father's shirt. Looking down, Sasuke eyed his younger son. He really did look a lot like him, though he had his mother's green eyes, the same green eyes that drew him to her since the beginning.

"Nothing really," replied Sasuke, patting his son's head. A slow nod came from Satoshi, a slightly crestfallen look on his face. A slight pang of guilt surged through Sasuke, seeing his son's reaction. "We can go to the park later if you want, if it's alright with your mother."

At his words, Satoshi's face brightened considerably. It seemed that it didn't take much to make the young Uchiha heir to be happy. It seemed that it didn't take too much to make the older Uchiha content either, an amused smirk on his lips.

Two Hours Later: At the Park

Sasuke watched as Satoshi played in the sandbox, trying to build something from the dry sand. He wanted to tell him that the sand was far too dry to stick but the determined expression on Satoshi's face amused him. It reminded him of when he was seven, trying to get his brother to teach him the proper use of the shuriken. Now, it was far too late for that.

Sasuke was twenty-two when he was sent out on an ANBU mission, the details concerning the planned destruction of a civilian village by a pair from the Akatsuki. He was hoping that it would be his brother along with the shark-looking one from the Mist.

It was a long and arduous travel of three days, the village isolated from the rest of the citizens of the Fire country. When the eight of them arrived, the Rokudaime Kakashi deciding to have two ANBU platoons working on the case with Sasuke being the overall leader, they were greeted with a smoldering village, two shadowy figures approaching them. He could still remember the words they spoke before the fight ensued.

Flashback: Six Years Ago

"…_You," hissed Sasuke, lifting up his mask to reveal his already activated Sharingan. "What did you do this for?"_

_The other seven ANBU backed away slightly, watching as the two remaining Uchiha engaged in a staring contest where the loss was even greater than just getting a slight headache. The minute their Sharingan had locked onto each other, it seemed that there was nothing that would stop them from walking the path of killing the other to stay alive._

"_To measure my strength, foolish little brother," replied Itachi, an amused look on his face. "What else would this be all about?" He seemed to know all the right buttons to press._

"_BUT YOU KILLED OUR ENTIRE FAMILY TO DO JUST THAT!" accused Sasuke, his face twisting itself into a such a violent expression that terror-filled shivers ran through the spines of his fellow ANBU teammates._

"_Ah, you seem to have become an ANBU Captain at… twenty-two right? My how time has flown," said Itachi, changing the topic. "I was only thirteen and a Chuunin when I got that title. Nine older and when you're a Jounin, that's when you become an ANBU Captain. Pity."_

"_THAT'S NOT THE POINT BASTARD!"_

"_Quite frankly it is, foolish younger brother of mine. Now, let us see if those nine years and that higher level will be to your advantage, Sasuke," spoke Itachi, his Magenkyou Sharingan spinning wildly._

_At Itachi's words, Sasuke all too readily sprung into battle, forgetting how tired his body was from the traveling, the wailing of the spirits of the dead Uchiha adding more fuel to the fire that would soon consume him if he didn't kill his brother during this encounter._

End of Flashback

"Otou-sama, Otou-sama!" cried Satoshi, a delighted tone in his voice. Sasuke snapped out of his blood-filled reverie, looking up to where his son was playing. "Look, I did it! I made a sand castle!"

Near the sandbox was a small bucket of water that Sasuke didn't seem to notice, almost empty already. Spots of damp sand lead from the edges of the box to the pile of wet sand that had been formed to what Satoshi called a castle. On his hands were clumps of wet sand, clinging to his skin like metal would to a magnet.

"…As expected of my son," said Sasuke standing up and walking towards Satoshi. He had only heard his father say that once to him, when he had mastered the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu. He felt that he didn't need to keep Satoshi from hearing those words. He would speak it to them as often as Satoshi deserved to. "Let's get you cleaned up before we go back home. Your mother, your sister, and your brothers are probably looking for us already."

Clambering out of the box, Satoshi ran towards the nearest faucet, planning to wash off the sand from his hands. Satoshi really did remind Sasuke of himself when he was younger and ignorant. He was everything he used to be before his brother killed their, his, clan and along with it, the naïve soul that held everything Sasuke could have been but could never be.

After Dinner: In the Kitchen

When Sakura had been waiting outside for her husband and her eldest son, she smiled at the sight of them when they finally appeared. Satoshi was sitting on his father's shoulders, his left hand pressing against the top of Sasuke's head while his right hand waving vigorously at his mother.

"What made you decide to go to the park with Satoshi?" asked Sakura as she passed a wet dish for Sasuke to dry. He shrugged, absently drying the plate with a towel. "You made Satoshi's day and mine as well."

Sasuke looked up at his wife, a slightly confused expression on his face. He knew how he made his son's day, but just how did he make hers? A soft smile appeared on Sakura's face as she looked at him, the dish she was washing down in the sink.

"Because you spent the afternoon with our son, that's why," she explained, leaning forward and giving him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "It's what a mother wants to see, happy children." Picking up the dish, she continued to clean it, the porcelain cool against her weathered fingers.

A frown found its way to Sasuke's face, lifting his hand and touching the place where his wife's lips had touched. It was a little lacking for him, as images of the nights that caused her to be pregnant flashed in his mind.

"Can we do the dishes tomorrow?" asked Sasuke, pulling away her soapy hands from the plate that had so taken her interest. She looked up at him, a slightly annoyed look on her face. Why postpone something when you could do it now? He answered her with a kiss, soft with passion but strong with want.

When they pulled apart, a rather impish, but still very Sasuke, look appeared on his face as he began walking towards to their room, his wife's hand in his. It was past the bedtime of the children so they didn't have to worry about being heard. Besides that, their room was secluded, far away from the children's to have privacy, but close enough for the children to walk or run to.

Arriving at their room, Sakura felt a surge of passion rising between her and her husband, his mouth at the base of her neck, his calloused hands supporting her back. He had already kicked the door closed, pushing his wife down on the bed as he moved from her necks to her lips once more.

Moaning, Sakura wrapped her arms tightly around Sasuke's neck, pulling him closer and deepening their passionate kiss. She knew where this was going and quite frankly, it was a welcome change from how he had been acting the past few nights.

Four in the Morning: In Their Bedroom

It was cold and empty beside her when Sakura had finally woken up, the crisp white sheets of their bed wrapping around her. He was probably in the shower, getting ready for the day. He rarely had any days off when it wasn't his vacation leave. He was just lucky that he got one yesterday.

Yawning, Sakura sat up straight, her right hand making sure the sheet wouldn't fall from her body. It was four in the morning but she was wide awake.

"I'm probably going to have a nap in the afternoon because of this," whispered Sakura to herself, standing up and walking over to their closet. She was at least going to wear a robe and her underwear to cover herself up.

While the pink haired Jounin rummaged through their closet, the clothes there mostly hers, the door to the bathroom swung open, revealing a slightly wet Sasuke. His hair was messier than usual, the cause of that probably the towel that was on his head.

"You're up," said Sasuke, walking over to Sakura as he continued to dry his hair with one hand. "You should still be in bed. The four of them are such a handful after all."

"I thought I should be up early anyway. I also don't think it's a good idea for Satoshi or Yuzuki to come into the room seeing their mother _naked_. Kyou and Haru are too young to care," replied Sakura as she turned to face him, an amused gleam in her eyes.

**Tsuzuku…**

And thus ends chapter two of The Guise of Love!

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews that you gave. It makes me feel like writing TGoL was indeed not a bad move for me to take!

And yes, I did have that sudden urge to make Sasuke like that. This story lacks it so I just had to write it XD

Kyou and Haru sleep far too much. Then again, they're just months old so the babies will have to be excused and be left to sleep cutely.

And I so want to see this family drawn, but my craptastic skills in drawing force me not to. Is anyone kind enough to draw for me? The effort will be highly appreciated. :o

The next couple of chapters are probably going to be somewhat dark, as Sasuke will be leaving on a mission and Sakura is starting to feel the toll of taking care of four children, all of whom she loves very much.

Anyway, here's the chapter preview and hope you're awaiting the next chapter of **The Guise of Love** like I am!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Three – The Dark Side of Family Life

**Chapter Preview:** Sakura sighed as she turned to face the side Sasuke would be sleeping in, had he not left for another ANBU mission. The bed was cold and uninviting; her hands resting on the pillow Sasuke rested his head on for the past five years of his marriage. It was always like this whenever he left the village.

"…Okaa-san…?" came a voice, causing Sakura to look at the doorway. It was Satoshi, his hair mussed from tossing and turning on his bed. His shirt slipped from his shoulder, a sleepy look on his face, as his right hand dragged a thin blanket. "Okaa-san, can I stay with you tonight?"


End file.
